Swollen, lumpy throat- painless but restrictive!

[sunshineisbetter]

I have such a swollen throat on the inside and also a puffy neck on the outside. It’s completely painless but it woke me up in the night as it’s restricting my breathing when I lie down. I woke up in the night gasping for breathe and had to sit up for a while to take a few deep breaths….horrible!! It feels very lumpy when I swallow.

Got checked by GP this morning and she just said, yes it feels swollen on the outside but not to panic as my oxygen levels were good.

Roll on endo appointment next week that move waited months for!

[humanbean]

Got checked by GP this morning and she just said, yes it feels swollen on the outside but not to panic as my oxygen levels were good.

That comment from your GP is absolutely absurd. The fact that your oxygen levels were okay while you were upright is nice to know but has absolutely zero connection or relevance with your oxygen levels while you were in bed.

It's almost as if she thinks its okay for you to suffocate in bed, just as long as she avoids a patient suffocating in her surgery.

I do think it would be worth your while to buy a pulse oximeter so you can check your oxygen saturation while you are lying down. They can be found easily enough online. Always give them 30 - 60 seconds to "settle" before taking a result as gospel.

[sunshineisbetter in reply to humanbean]

I hear what you’re saying….she made me feel like I was panicking over nothing but also said that I don’t need to worry until my tongue has a bluish tinge and I’m panting etc. It did frighten me a bit at the time….might prop myself up tonight x

[humanbean in reply to sunshineisbetter]

Take a small mirror to bed with you so you can check the colour of your tongue. (I've never heard about the colour of the tongue being a warning sign of lack of oxygen before.)

But I think checking the colour will be hard to do if you've just woken up. Who is compos mentis under those circumstances? And by the time you've got to grips with what you are trying to do you might have changed your oxygen level anyway.

Do you have someone sleeping with you who would be willing and able to help?

I know my husband would be useless. He's no more with-it just after waking up in the middle of the night than I am.

[Ellie-Louise]

I can’t believe your doctors attitude!

I went to mine a couple of weeks ago after a nurse practitioner had been treating me for an ear infection that hadn’t worked. (I had originally had a feeling of something in my throat when I swallowed and ear ache).

The doctor examined me and has now referred me to ENT to have the camera up my nose into my throat.

[sunshineisbetter in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Ah I’m pleased that they have taken steps to help you. I’m pinning so much hope on my endo appointment next week xx